Christlike Nations

Simon noticed that the Spirit was given only when the apostles placed their hands on the people. So he brought money and said to Peter and John, “Let me have this power too! Then anyone I place my hands on will also be given the Holy Spirit.” Peter said to him, “You and your money will both end up in hell if you think you can buy God’s gift! — Acts 8:18-20

God Delights in Giving Good Gifts

God Almighty is the Good Father. Everything that is genuinely good comes from Him. He made the way for salvation available to all people.

This same God delights in giving His Kingdom to all His children (Luke 12:32). We should rest assured that God is pleased to give His gifts to us, but it is meant solely to serve people and demonstrate His love.

God’s Power is a Gift

God’s power is a gift, not something to be earned. We cannot work to obtain His power; He gives it as it pleases Him. Sadly, there are anti-biblical teachings that encourage believers in Jesus to turn their gaze away from Jesus and lust after the power of Jesus Christ. The truth is, there is nothing we can do to make God give us His power because giving us His power is a gift in and of itself.

Quite frankly, all we can do is to be faithful in what He has committed to us to do, and He can add more responsibilities and more enablement by the Holy Spirit to us.

Emulating the Character of Jesus Christ

It is good to have the power of God, but it is more important to emulate the character of God. This calls for us to display the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23):

We need to emulate these character traits of God, and not lust after His power. If we have power but do not exhibit the character of God, we risk becoming powerful and wild.

Focusing on Character Over Power

This scripture below perfectly illustrates that power should not be our focus; having the character of God is what is truly important.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ — Matthew 7:21-23

True Children of God

Not everyone who says the name of Jesus is a child of God. Not all who perform miracles are children of God. So do not accept a preacher simply because he or she performs miracles. Accept them if they live a life that honours God and is submitted to Him through obedience.

Rejoice in Your Salvation

Do not feel bad about yourself if miracles are not performed through you. Do not think you are less effective as a preacher of God if no miracles occur through you.

Instead, rejoice that your name is written in the Book of Life — Luke 10:20.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t want to see God’s miracles happen through you. It just means you should focus more on loving and obeying Jesus, instead of getting too caught up in wanting to perform miracles yourself.

Paul said

Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, God bless your heart!

— 1 Corinthians 14:1

Paul is telling us that we should want to love others more than just wanting God’s power. Love helps us use God’s power to help people, not just to feel powerful ourselves.

The goal isn’t to stop wanting God’s power to work through you, but to make sure you’re also a loving and good person so you can use that power to serve God and help others.

God bless your heart!

Do you need us to pray for you?

If you need prayer or support during a season of waiting, please reach out at nationsenchrist@gmail.com or you are welcome to book a prayer session with us through this link. May your faith remain strong and your heart at peace.

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